| Galmudug State | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Motto: My Home State | ||||||
| Anthem: Somalia Tosow | ||||||
 | ||||||
| Capital (and largest city) | South Galkacyo | |||||
| Official language(s) | Somali and English | |||||
| Government | ||||||
| - | President | Mohamed Ahmed Alin | ||||
| - | Vice-President | Abdisalam Haji Ahmed Liban | ||||
| Autonomy | Part of Federated Somalia | |||||
| - | Declared | August 14, 2006[citation needed] | ||||
| - | Recognition | Not recognized | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 46,000 km2 17,761 sq mi | ||||
| Currency | Somali shilling (SOS) | |||||
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+3) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .so | |||||
| Calling code | 252 (Somalia) | |||||
Galmudug is a secular, decentralized state in the central region of Somalia. It claims the city of Galkacyo's southern part though this is not recognized within the Somali community and they hold little power or sway within the city and district. To the north is Puntland, to the west is Ethiopia and to the south and east is the rest of Somalia, presently under the nominal control of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The name is a combination of Galguduud and Mudug. Unlike the secessionist Somaliland region in northwestern Somalia, Galmudug, like the northern Somali region of Puntland, is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation. It considers itself a federal division within the larger federal republic of Somalia, such as defined by the 2004 Transitional Federal Charter (TFG).
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Overview
The Galmudug State is the most centrally located area in Somalia. It is equidistant from Galkaio (the state capital) by 750 km to Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bossaso and Harar in Ethiopia.[citation needed] Its land area - one of the largest 16 original regions of Somalia - is 100,000 km², larger than the size of Hiiran (34,000 km²), Middle Shabelle (20,800 km²), and Banaadir (800 km²) regions. It is bordered to the East by the Indian Ocean, to the West by Ethiopia, Nugaal region (currently Puntland) on the North and to the South by Galgadud region.
[edit] History
For pre-colonial history, see Sultanate of Hobyo
[edit] Creation of Galmudug
Prior to June 6, 2006, the clans of central Somalia were part of the vast territories held by the "Mogadishu Warlords", the powerful businessmen-warlords who each ruled a district of Mogadishu and conducted their business there. Financial development, security and infrastructure were all funnelled into Mogadishu by these warlords and the regions of Mudug and Galgadud in particular became seriously neglected. For the Mogadishu warlords, Mudug and Galgadud was a place to import soldiers and livestock, Mogadishu was where to invest and develop.
From March 2006 to June 2006 the Islamic Courts Union battled and defeated the Mogadishu warlords and shattered their power, allowing the ICU to conquer all of the capital as well as the Middle Shabelle region. As a side consequence of this however, the central regions became independent of the Mogadishu warlords for the first time in 17 years, and finally had a say in how the regions were administered. The Sacad clan diaspora and political leadership, taking note of the success Puntland and Somaliland have had with autonomy, began to work towards establishing a regional state.
Galmudug was established on August 14, 2006 and Mohamed Warsame Ali 'Kiimiko' was elected President.
The state was named Galmudug (Galgadud and Mudug) with the cities of South Galcayo, Galinsoor and Bandiradley. Hobyo were technically a part of Galmudug from the outset, but de-facto authority rested in the pirates who ruled the towns and preyed on shipping along the coast. This changed when the ICU flushed out the pirates from Hobyo and Harardhere on August 16, 2006, and later when the ICU conquered Harardhere and Hobyo in early November 2006, to be reconquered by Galmudug forces in early 2007 with the help of Ethiopia, Puntland and the Sacad warlord Abdi Qeybdiid.
However, control by a central government remains fleeting. Much of the area of Galmudug remains under control of coastal pirates and Islamic militants groups, such as Al-Shabaab.
[edit] Relations with Puntland
Galmudug was put at odds with Puntland because they were often made victims of collective punishments designed to hurt the ICU during the ICU's rule of most of southern Somalia in 2006. For instance in October Puntland banned flights to and from southern Somalia (except to Baidoa of course[clarification needed]), including, due to proximity, Galmudug. Galmudug condemned this move strongly.[1]
On November 10, 2006, Galmudug sought the removal of forces from adjoining Puntland.[2] However by December, it had grown increasingly reliant on forces from both Puntland and Ethiopia to dislodge the militias of the ICU.
Currently the Galmudug entity is trying to claim parts of Puntland as its own. This has been rejected by Puntland and Ethiopia which sees Galmudug as a terrorist enclave turned government. Most recently the dispute of who owns Galkacyo airport which is located in the Puntland side of the city has had tensions risen to a new high due to the treatment of the so-called "President of Galmudug" when he is travelling from the airport. Due to the lack of power and recognition within the Somali political arena, he is seen as a random person.[3]
[edit] Geography
Galmudug State occupies the following Districts of Somalia:[4]
- Mudug Region - Districts:
- Hobyo Region - Districts:
[edit] War with the Islamic Courts Union
Galmudug and the ICU clashed increasingly in October and November 2006, leading to an ICU invasion of Galinsoor, Hobyo, Harardere, Bandiradley and Abdi Qeybdiid's base in the Marehan town of Abudwaq in November and December. A joint Ethiopia-Puntland force intervened to prevent the ICU from capturing Galcayo (the most important city in the region), the northern half of which is administered by Puntland. The Ethiopia-Puntland-Galmudug-Abdi Qeybdiid coalition emerged victorious and recaptured Bandiradley and Galinsoor.
On January 1, 2007, Abdi Qeybdiid and the Puntland/Ethiopian force parted ways with the Galmudug military and continued on towards Mogadishu, briefly occupying Adado and Dusamareb.[5] To this day, the status of the majority of Galgadud (except Gelinsoor, administered by Galmudug) is unresolved.
[edit] Al-Shabaab and Pirates
While the Transitional Federal Government made an agreement to admit members of the former Islamic Courts Union into the government in a bid to unify the country, violence continues to plague the central Somali coast. It takes two primary forms: piracy by various tribal groups, and Islamic extremist movements, such as Al-Shabaab.
Piracy has been rampant along the coast of Somalia, with at least 111 attacks against shipping and 42 vessels captured during 2008.[6]
In December 2008, Hobyo pirates and Al-Shabaab militants fought over the control of Hobyo.[7]
[edit] Reconstruction
Galmudug state has, in spite of limited resources, managed to open eight new schools. Medicine San-franse had promised to fund the schools but that did not materialise after several of their staff were kidnapped in lieu for the withdrawal of the funds to Galmududg state educational programmes. The state also embarked an audacious plan to solicit funds to build a modern port in Hobyo that could be used businesses in central Somali and even by landlocked Ethiopia. A 172 Miles tarmac dual carriage road that would go through Hobyo- Galkacio- and further a field into Ogadenia has been planned in order to boost commercial and transport links in that part of Ethiopia which is inhabited mainly by poor ethnic Somalis who continue to live under occupation of hostile Ethiopian regimes.
Galmudug State military is composed of remnants from the dreaded Ex USC/SNA Forces of General Mohamed Farrah Aidid who have been acknowledged in the documentary Black Hawk Down to be the most efficient and battle-harded fighting forces throughout the ensuing civil war in Somalia. Western military analysts also believe that the Galmudug state forces do indeed hold in their possession a substantial amount of heavy armament that was looted from the former Somali national army which was never used in the civil war by the USC forces of the late Gen M. Aideed. But most of these would in due time be handed back to a genuine Somali government if ever formed. Galmudug state has an ambitious plan to revitalise by way of priority the education system through the importation of highly qualified teachers from India, South Africa and ethnic Somali Teachers from North East province of Kenya. In order to keep costs to the education budget to a minimum in the long run, plans have been made to build teachers' quarters alongside every school that was built in order to provide free accommodation to the teachers. A trust fund has been set up to which UNICEF, the Indian Government, and a number of Dubai-based corporations has promised contributions. A team from Galmudud State Ministry of Education recently travelled to Cairo, London, Manchester, Columbus, Ohio, South Carolina and Minneapolis in an encouraging college graduates from that region in the Diaspora to take up training in the teaching of sciences and mathematics. Scholarships have also been offered in the spirit of fulfillment of the aforementioned education goals by the University of Alexandria in Egypt.
(copy of wikipedia)
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